thepittman wrote:As I said before I believe the TK is solid player on this team, shows a lot of energy, and is a great role player. Many people under value him IMO and what he does for this team.

In a way, they do. But a main reason for that is the fact that he got a big paycheck following a 20+ goal season in 2011, when everyone was injured. He's not a guy who is top 6 material, as he has proven time and time again. But he does have a place in the lineup, especially given his track record against the Islanders.

TK is one of my favorite players on the Pens. I was disapointed that be got benched for a bit, but he really is a decent little player. I hope they keep playing him with Vitale. Those two looked good together. Honestly, I think that Sutter is one of the main reasons that he had a pretty bad year. That guy just doesn't seem to click with anyone.

He even said after the game: “I thought the whole line there, ‘Joey V’ and ‘Addsy,’ they were playing great,” Kennedy said. “I kind of feed of Joey Vitale’s energy and speed.”

I like the quote from TV also:""[Kennedy] kept a great, positive attitude and he got rewarded today with a big goal for our team," Vokoun said. "That's a huge thing to score the first goal in a game like that."

thepittman wrote:As I said before I believe the TK is solid player on this team, shows a lot of energy, and is a great role player. Many people under value him IMO and what he does for this team.

In a way, they do. But a main reason for that is the fact that he got a big paycheck following a 20+ goal season in 2011, when everyone was injured. He's not a guy who is top 6 material, as he has proven time and time again. But he does have a place in the lineup, especially given his track record against the Islanders.

This. When you're looking at trying to re-sign Malkin, Letang, Dupuis and other more important top-line players, spending $2 million on a bottom-6 guy who can only player on the 2nd power play and even strength is a luxury the Pens can't afford.

thepittman wrote:As I said before I believe the TK is solid player on this team, shows a lot of energy, and is a great role player. Many people under value him IMO and what he does for this team.

In a way, they do. But a main reason for that is the fact that he got a big paycheck following a 20+ goal season in 2011, when everyone was injured. He's not a guy who is top 6 material, as he has proven time and time again. But he does have a place in the lineup, especially given his track record against the Islanders.

I'm in no way advocating that he is worth what he is getting paid, my point is he has a valuable presence in this lineup and the team is lacking without it.

thepittman wrote:As I said before I believe the TK is solid player on this team, shows a lot of energy, and is a great role player. Many people under value him IMO and what he does for this team.

In a way, they do. But a main reason for that is the fact that he got a big paycheck following a 20+ goal season in 2011, when everyone was injured. He's not a guy who is top 6 material, as he has proven time and time again. But he does have a place in the lineup, especially given his track record against the Islanders.

I'm in no way advocating that he is worth what he is getting paid, my point is he has a valuable presence in this lineup and the team is lacking without it.

Absolutely. My point was that a large faction of Penguin fans developed this irrational "Kennedy hate" partially because he raised expectations too high with his 20 goal season and big paycheck. Kennedy is what he is, a valuable bottom 6 guy who can skate well, cycle the puck, stir the pot, and occasionally score a game changing goal. We saw the best of Kennedy last night, and that player frequently shows up against the Islanders. I never understood all the hate towards him by the fans.

Absolutely. My point was that a large faction of Penguin fans developed this irrational "Kennedy hate" partially because he raised expectations too high with his 20 goal season and big paycheck. Kennedy is what he is, a valuable bottom 6 guy who can skate well, cycle the puck, stir the pot, and occasionally score a game changing goal. We saw the best of Kennedy last night, and that player frequently shows up against the Islanders. I never understood all the hate towards him by the fans.

I'm pretty sure the Kennedy hate already existed even before then. Because group think says he shoots too much.

jwest21 wrote:Benching Kennedy lights a fire under him for 2-3 games. then he goes back to playing the same way. If he played the same game every night that he does after being benched, no one would complain about his play

Agreed. I'm hoping that the extended still-would-be-benched-if-the-Pens-kept-winning benching will keep the fire lit for a while.

The good thing about the quality depth (JJ and BB) and Bylsma's willingness, though reluctant, to use it is that none of the bottom six are safe. Put up or take a seat.

jwest21 wrote:Benching Kennedy lights a fire under him for 2-3 games. then he goes back to playing the same way. If he played the same game every night that he does after being benched, no one would complain about his play

Benching Kennedy? Has been in lineup pretty consistently except for injury.

jwest21 wrote:Benching Kennedy lights a fire under him for 2-3 games. then he goes back to playing the same way. If he played the same game every night that he does after being benched, no one would complain about his play

Benching Kennedy? Has been in lineup pretty consistently except for injury.

he was just recently benched in the playoffs. He's been a healthy scratch a few times over the last couple years and comes back and has a few great games and then goes back to normal.

jwest21 wrote:Benching Kennedy lights a fire under him for 2-3 games. then he goes back to playing the same way. If he played the same game every night that he does after being benched, no one would complain about his play

Benching Kennedy? Has been in lineup pretty consistently except for injury.

he was just recently benched in the playoffs. He's been a healthy scratch a few times over the last couple years and comes back and has a few great games and then goes back to normal.

One time this season. Previous seasons he has played pretty well throughout(I think he did just fine this season but I'm not going to beat that dead horse) I would say any player that gets shelved comes back with some more gusto

jwest21 wrote:Benching Kennedy lights a fire under him for 2-3 games. then he goes back to playing the same way. If he played the same game every night that he does after being benched, no one would complain about his play

Benching Kennedy? Has been in lineup pretty consistently except for injury.

he was just recently benched in the playoffs. He's been a healthy scratch a few times over the last couple years and comes back and has a few great games and then goes back to normal.

One time this season. Previous seasons he has played pretty well throughout(I think he did just fine this season but I'm not going to beat that dead horse) I would say any player that gets shelved comes back with some more gusto

He has been a healthy scratch a number of times over the last few years. Usually for 1 or 2 games. The difference in his play before and after being scratched is night and day. It just never seems to last

jwest21 wrote:Benching Kennedy lights a fire under him for 2-3 games. then he goes back to playing the same way. If he played the same game every night that he does after being benched, no one would complain about his play

Benching Kennedy? Has been in lineup pretty consistently except for injury.

he was just recently benched in the playoffs. He's been a healthy scratch a few times over the last couple years and comes back and has a few great games and then goes back to normal.

One time this season. Previous seasons he has played pretty well throughout(I think he did just fine this season but I'm not going to beat that dead horse) I would say any player that gets shelved comes back with some more gusto

He's the 15th best forward on this team IMO if you think Glass is more valuable because of PK and toughness. I can't believe anyone thinks he's better than Bennett or Jokinen. I consider Vitale much more valuable than Staggy and Disco's lil tiger. Vitale will get a shot somewhere because he's not a DB kind of guy. Hopefully Shero trades TK for a pick pre-draft to save a million or so against the cap for a lower round pick

I think it's more that Kennedy brings something they need to the table that some other guys can't. If they needed a top six scorer, I'd rather plug Jokinen or Bennett in. They needed energy and grit which Kennedy and Vitale supply more of. There needs to be balance in the lineup, they can't just throw a bunch of scorers out there and expect to win in the playoffs.

Kennedy probably isn't going to have any trade value. The rest of the league probably figures the Pens aren't going to give him a qualifying offer. Unless someone really wants him that badly and is willing to spend $2 million on him he's going to end up hitting the free agency market.

Geezer wrote:He's the 15th best forward on this team IMO if you think Glass is more valuable because of PK and toughness. I can't believe anyone thinks he's better than Bennett or Jokinen. I consider Vitale much more valuable than Staggy and Disco's lil tiger. Vitale will get a shot somewhere because he's not a DB kind of guy. Hopefully Shero trades TK for a pick pre-draft to save a million or so against the cap for a lower round pick

kennedy plays a different role than bennett or jokenin. it was obvious that we needed more speed, better forecheck, etc... and kennedy can play that role on an energy line more effectively than bennett or jokenin. not saying he is better than either player, but more effective in that role.

now if we had a game plan that utilized our roster a bit differently, maybe having more players with bennett's or jokenin's skillsets would be valued more.

You win championships with guys like tk. When all the skilled players are being cute and getting bogged down by the checking line you want someone like tk to do the simple things and chip in in ways that the skilled players won't.